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Today was my long run day. It’s been about a week and a half since my last long run, and that one was a wonderful 14 miler in the pouring rain (which gave me a chance to road test some waterproof gear I’ve purchased recently; with the exception of my feet — unclad in waterproof apparel — I stayed dry!).

I got up this morning to discover that at 7:30AM it was already 76 degrees outside, plus there is a Crappy Air Alert going on. I believe the forecasted high for today is 92 degrees, with a UV index of 9 out of 10. Blech. (Many thanks to Joe Garland for his information about the trail runs and Thursday evening 5Ks…I may check those out yet. But for days like today, the treadmill is a lifesaver for those of us who wilt in the heat.)

So 8:00-10:40AM this morning found me chugging along on the treadmill in our tiny air conditioned third bedroom. It’s funny: When you start a 3-ish hour run you wonder how you’ll put up with the tedium. But I had an MP3 player loaded up with podcasts, and the Japan-Croatia World Cup match at 9:00 (too bad it was such a boring game), and the time passed quickly.

Snacks consumed during the run included an orange juice/water/salt mixture (I fill a 20 oz bottle halfway with o.j., top it up with water and add a quarter teaspoon of salt — very refreshing); a Trader Joe’s Sweet, Savory and Tart Trail Mix bar; and a ton of water.

I made this one a progression run, since I want to try to get into the habit of running negative splits for my races. I started out slow (at a 63% heart rate) for the first 5 miles, faster (68%) for the next 5, faster yet (75%) for the next four, and finishing off at a speedy pace (80-82%) for the last mile. That last mile…

…wait…wait…

GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!

South Korea just scored against France to tie!

Sorry.

Ahem.

Where was I?

Oh, yes.

…that last mile flies by when you’re running faster (and know that you’re almost done). Top it off with a luxurious lukewarm bubble bath, followed by a delicious glycogen-load burrito, and that’s a darn nice way to start off your Sunday. Especally if you plan to spend the rest of the day lying on the couch watching a bunch of men with thunder thighs kick a ball around.

Well, I went out at about 7:45 for a long trail run, and I must say that it was pretty warm out there. Quite a struggle, and I didn’t get as far, or run as long, as I planned. But a lot of this is aclimation. And hydration. And moderation.